STAND OFF, AB - Kainai Forage, LP ("Kainai Forage" or the "Company") located on the Kainai/Blood Tribe's Reserve, is Canada's fastest growing premium hay producer with exports around the world. Yesterday Chief Fox was pleased to welcome Alberta's Premier, Jason Kenney, the Minister of Indigenous Relations, Rick Wilson, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Devin Dreeshen, and local Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Joseph Schow for a tour of Kainai Forage.
The production of premium hays on the Blood Tribe Reserve began in 1997 under the name Blood Tribe Forage Processing Plant. In 2019 Chief and Council partnered with Indigena Capital to provide the needed capital and business models to enable the business to expand fourfold as a best-in-class forage operation.
"By partnering with Indigena Capital we were able to secure the needed capital and business expertise to set the business on a bold expansion plan and enable the Kainai/Blood Tribe to have full participation in the agricultural value chain," said Chief Roy Fox. "In two short years, with the help of our farming partners, Kainai Forage has expanded from producing 20,000 metric tonnes of forage a year to over 52,000 metric tonnes last year and is on pace to surpass 100,000 metric tonnes of export by 2024, making us the fastest growing Timothy Hay forage operation in Canada. It was a pleasure to be able to welcome Premier Kenney, Ministers Wilson and Dreeshen, and local MLA Schow to the operation and show them first-hand the successful expansion that is underway."
The Kainai Forage visit included a discussion with the Kainai Forage staff, over ninety percent of whom are Kainai/Blood Tribe members. They shared their broad experience in forage and logistics, and provided a tour of the newly expanded facility. The Government of Alberta representatives were able to directly see the four new storage sheds that have been completed since 2019 and tour the new state-of-the-art processing facility that will be operational in the fall of 2021. In addition, they were able to experience the intricate steps that are taken from the time the premium Timothy Hay arrives at the facility until it is placed in containers and shipped overseas to the company's international customers. They also learned about how Kainai Forage's expansion has benefited both the Kainai/Blood Tribe and the local Alberta economy, including how the aggressive expansion has led to a threefold increase of Kainai/Blood Tribe community members employed at Kainai Forage.
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